Читать книгу Catholicism For Dummies - Rev. Kenneth Brighenti - Страница 105

IN THIS CHAPTER

Looking at the Church’s hierarchy

Finding out about papal elections in the Vatican

Discovering the long line of papal succession

Understanding the duties of the clergy

Chain of command: Every structured environment has one — from governments to corporations to schools to sports programs. The Catholic Church is no exception. This chapter explains who’s who in the Catholic Church and gives you a glimpse into the authority and duties of its various members. Check out Table 6-1 for a quick look at who’s in charge, from highest to lowest (top to bottom) in terms of rank.

TABLE 6-1 The Catholic Church Chain of Command

Clergy Members’ Titles	What They Do
The pope	He’s the bishop of Rome and the head of the whole Church.
Cardinals	They elect the pope and work in different departments as his right-hand men.
Bishops and archbishops	They take charge of the churches in their respective geographical areas, called dioceses.
Vicar generals	They are priests who help the bishop govern the local churches.
Parish priests, or pastors	They take care of all the big day-to-day duties in their churches, from leading Mass to hearing confessions.
Monks and nuns	They choose to live together, work together, and spend many hours devoted in prayer.